Lake Superior Tour – The Trip
Last year I took my first self-supported bicycle trip – a three day trek from Barneveld, WI to Bloomington, IL. I had my fair share of issues, but enjoyed the trip and planned to do more of it in the future.
When the time came to start thinking about plans for the summer, I initially was looking at the Door County, WI region and thinking of biking up there. I have been to that area though, and sort of wanted to go somewhere new. I started looking further up along the northern shore of Lake Michigan and the UP, which let me to start thinking about just going all the way around Lake Michigan. That was intriguing, and I started looking into it. While it looked like a neat trip, and is now on my very long to-do list of adventures, I came across info on going around Lake Superior and that seems to have stuck.
I’m not sure if it’s the size, the remoteness of some of the stretches in Canada, the difficulty of the hills, or a combination, but once I started researching the Lake Superior loop that was the trip I was set on doing. Total distance around is about 1200 miles, depending on the specific route. It can be significantly further if you stick close to the shoreline and take all the side roads. There are numerous attractions and points of interest along the way, and I’ve researched some, but I think half the fun is just exploring and seeing what you come across!
Rough route plan
Although my summer was already fairly busy when I started to do serious planning, there was a convenient stretch of time open from just after the 4th of July weekend until mid August. I put it in my calendar and decided that it was going to happen! Many people that do the loop drive up to the start point and then bike around, but I figured I’d stick with the spirit of the bicycle trip and ride up there from my house in Waukesha as well! I was originally planning on biking back down after completing the loop, but it worked out that I’ll be meeting up with friends at the end of the trip and will just ride back with them instead.
I’m giving myself just under 5 weeks to complete the approximately 1600 miles I have planned. This should be plenty of time to complete the trip with a number of rest days, and time to deviate from my planned route to take side trips. My itinerary is, however, somewhat constrained, as there are a few key dates that I need to hit. My dad and girlfriend Melissa are planning to fly up in his plane (weather permitting) the weekend of July 19th to meet up and camp with me for a day near Sault St. Marie this side of the border. I’m also planning to meet up with Melissa and her mom and mom’s boyfriend Brian at Brian’s cabin near Duluth at the end of the trip. I’ll then meet up with my friends Will and Steve to spend a week kayaking in Isle Royale! Told you being FreeTired has its perks.
Awesome! Have a great trip! Will be fun to follow along. 😉
That is quite the undertaking! Wish I was there with you. Well, at least on part of it. Enjoy!
So, I’ve read your blogs backwards starting from the last to the first. You are a real inspiration. Keep truckin’! As the years come along, you’ll be so glad that you did all of these cool things. And if you work it right, you’ll still be doing them with a lot of memories attached to those still very toned muscles! I’m all for staying fit!